Chapter 39
He was pointing at a pair of small, dainty shoes with low heels that looked like ballet slippers. Coincidentally, they were the same red as the robe I was wearing.
‘They are pretty, though.’
But it wasn’t like I had many chances to go out wearing fancy shoes in front of people. They weren’t something I really needed, so I shook my head.
“I wanted to buy shoes that are comfortable to move around in.”
Dante tilted his head slightly, then nodded in understanding.
He could’ve just taken the boots and left, but for some reason, the shop owner insisted on measuring my feet. After that was done and I stepped out, Dante had already finished paying and was holding a neatly wrapped shoe box.
“Ah, I should’ve paid for that…”
“It’s fine.”
“B-but…”
As I flustered, Dante casually turned around and replied,
“Consider it thanks for making my mansion look wonderful.”
Really! When he said things like that, it was hard to refuse.
As if he didn’t want to give me a chance to argue, Dante started walking ahead. Afraid to lose sight of him, I followed quickly, and before long, we arrived at the carriage stand. I thought we would go straight back to the mansion, but Dante loaded the luggage and me into the carriage, then turned back.
“Wait here for a moment.”
I nodded, puzzled. After a while, he returned, holding out a single flower wrapped in paper. Its soft pink petals overlapped in delicate layers—it was a lisianthus.
“What’s this?”
“A thank-you gift.”
He tapped his chest lightly with a finger, meaning the handkerchief I had embroidered for him. The gesture felt both strange and touching. I lifted the flower slightly and asked,
“Do you know what kind of flower this is?”
“……”
Of course, no answer came. I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘It’s a flower used for confessions, you know.’
The lisianthus’s meaning is eternal love. The shop owner who had wrapped it so prettily must have kept that flower meaning in mind. Eternal love is supposed to be for one person only, after all.
‘He probably didn’t realize that giving this as a thank-you gift could be… misunderstood.’
His innocence somehow made him even more endearing. I smiled warmly and said,
“Thank you. I’m really happy.”
And so, my very first outing in the capital ended on a pleasant note.
But there was one thing neither Dante nor Yvonne had considered—both of them drew too much attention from others.
Even before this, people had been talking. The Duke of Christopher, who usually stayed locked away in the imperial palace whenever he visited the capital, had lately been going to his mansion every single day. Naturally, that had stirred up gossip.
“I heard his mansion is under renovation. Everyone said he’d abandoned that classic old place like trash.”
“But if he suddenly decided to fix it, there must be a reason, right?”
“Some workers said a beautiful woman was in charge of the whole project.”
“A woman?”
“Oh, come on. Not Duke Christopher. He’s so private that people were starting weird rumors about him being too clean, remember?”
“True. Maybe the old butler’s daughter took over his duties or something?”
That was about the extent of the chatter circulating quietly beneath the surface of society. Thanks to all the false rumors that had come and gone before, most people brushed it off as just another curiosity.
But then, Dante appeared in town—accompanied by a beautiful young lady. And of all places, at a tea shop popular with noblewomen!
“Oh my goodness! This time it must be real!”
“Whose daughter could she be?”
Since the social scene had been dull lately, it was only natural that the sudden “Duke Christopher’s romance” rumor spread like wildfire.
And in the imperial palace, there was one person who reacted especially strongly to it—Princess Vivian, who had once been the subject of engagement talks with Dante.
Unlike her usual graceful self, she stormed down the corridor, her footsteps echoing loudly, and flung open a door.
“Brother! I need to talk to you!”
Her fair cheeks were flushed pink, making her look adorably angry.
The Crown Prince, Bentley, who had been lounging on a sofa waving papers around, smirked and sat up.
“My, my. The Emperor is ill, and the Princess comes running down the halls like a gorilla. The court ladies would scold you if they saw.”
“And you won’t get scolded for lying around reading dirty magazines?”
“Wouldn’t they just blush and flee instead?”
What Bentley tossed onto the table wasn’t a scandalous magazine but an ordinary report. Vivian, who had hoped to fluster him, only grew redder when he smiled and brushed it off so easily.
She plopped down on the sofa opposite him, biting her lip and glaring.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?”
“Don’t play dumb! You know there’s only one reason I’d come running to you like this!”
Though they were half-siblings with different mothers, Vivian and Bentley were unusually close—thanks to a mutual respect that held their relationship steady.
‘Still, I’d love to smack that smug face right now.’
He clearly knew why she was here, yet pretended not to. She clenched her fists tightly.
‘God really is unfair. He gave my brother a brilliant mind, a handsome face, and a rotten personality.’
Maybe that was necessary for the world’s balance. Otherwise, with his intelligence and sense of justice, Bentley would probably be terrorizing the entire empire with his diligence.
But global peace wasn’t the issue at hand. Leaning forward until her face was close to his, Vivian demanded,
“Did you hear the rumor that Duke Christopher has a lover?”
“Ah…”
Bentley’s answer was vague. Of course, he knew Dante was interested in someone.
‘But last I heard, he hasn’t even confessed yet.’
Knowing Dante’s personality, Bentley could easily imagine it would take a while before any confession happened. Just the fact that Dante had insisted she reclaim her rightful position as princess showed how upright he was—he probably believed confessing only after that would be the honorable thing to do.
‘I’ll never understand that mindset. What’s the difference between confessing now or later? If anything, doing it now would secure her and make things easier.’
With the difference in their statuses, it wasn’t as if she could easily resist even if Dante acted more assertively.
Still, Bentley respected his friend’s will.
That was why the rumor about Dante’s romance genuinely surprised him.
‘Did he finally confess? Or is it one of those cases where the emotions are so obvious that everyone around can see them?’
Bentley narrowed his eyes slightly. From his vague “Ah…” response, Vivian seemed to take it as confirmation, and her expression crumpled.
“So you did know! How could you? You let me find out from someone else!”
She looked ready to burst into tears at any moment—and since Bentley hated nothing more than having to comfort a crying woman, he hurried to explain.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it? Why did you sound like you knew?”
“I just figured, since he’s been scurrying back home like a squirrel hiding acorns lately, that maybe it had something to do with that. It’s not like he told me anything.”
“Really?”
“Of course. And you know how busy I’ve been lately with the late Emperor’s last will and the matter of his daughter.”
Hearing that, Vivian’s expression softened. She rubbed at her eyes and grumbled,
“What’s so busy about that? From your perspective, it’s just a bride dropped into your lap. You could just marry her and be done with it.”
“…Right. Because only your love life matters, huh?”
Bentley muttered, half amused and half exasperated. Vivian stuck out her tongue playfully, acting every bit the spoiled little sister. Watching her, Bentley clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘If only she showed this honest side more often, her relationship with Dante might have progressed further.’
